For the Love of Fili
by alae-megallen
Summary: With the Battle of the Fives Armies won and the company of Durin surviving, Fili is to court a half Dwarf, half Elf with the gift of empathy.
1. Chapter 1

"This is utterly ridiculous!" You huffed, picking disgustedly at the twirls of lace and flowers of one of the many dresses Lord Thranduil had sent to you. A gift to celebrate your courting, he had said. You were a little concerned that his adoration for you was clouding your judgment but he seemed extremely insistent and so you had given in, much to your annoyance. You worried at your lip as you glanced in the ornate full length mirror at yourself.

A loud snort caught your attention and you whirled around to glare at the young Dwarrow Prince eyeing you skeptically.

"This isn't funny, Kili! I look like a complete troll!"

Kili chuckled lightly, "Troll is a bit harsh, don't you think?"

You growled irritably and disappeared behind the intricate fabric room divider, swishing fabric and irritated curses escaping from within.

"Did King Thranduil happen to have sent you anything less...poofy?" Kili offered and you sighed, "What does it even matter? He probably thinks I'm horrible and ugly anyway. I mean, remember that night I had a tiny, little bit too much ale and threw up all over his boots? Oh god, Kili, he finds me repulsive, doesn't he!?"

At that moment, you emerged in a forest green velvet gown. The neckline was intricately woven with silver embroidery and low enough to bear your shoulders and the arms of the dress were sheer, in a darker forest green. Your elven ears shone with beautiful silver cuffs, jade green flowers shimmering from within. Your hair had already been pulled down from its usual simple braid, much to your chagrin. But you knew that it was custom for those in courtship to braid a bead into the other's hair. So, hesitantly, you had left it down. The prospect of having your hair braided by Fili made your stomach do funny things.

"Hideous?" You enquired nervously at Kili's open mouth and silence. Usually he was quite eager to blather like an idiot to anyone who would listen.

"Not hideous." Kili finally choked out, still gawking.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You asked, your eyebrow arching and your face scrunched up into an awkward expression.

"You look wonderful, Nienna. Fili is going to lose his mind!" Kili beamed and you rolled your eyes, "I wouldn't be surprised if he loses his mind. Being forced to court me. All of the Dwarrowdams are already snickering about the royal Prince being betrothed to a half breed! I don't even have a beard! My bare skin probably disgusts him."

You was freaking out and you knew it. You were not worried about your feelings towards Fili. You knew full well that you loved him. Truthfully, it was the first day you had laid eyes on him. Of course, he had been glaring at you. Probably attempting to will you to implode with his clear green eyes. Being a prisoner in King Thranduil's domain would do that to any dwarf.

"A bit short for an elf, aren't ye?" Ah, that beautiful voice. Granted, he was insulting you. But still, his fierceness was exciting. And you had not met many of your kind, let alone a Prince of Durin. And Durin's folk.

He began to hate you a little less when you set them free and ushered them towards freedom. Still, he was skeptical of being led straight into a trap. You honestly didn't blame him. He had no idea that you were half Dwarf. Not until he saw the runes tattooed up your arm did he begin to suspect. After all, an Elf with Dwarvin runes tattooed on her seemed extremely unlikely.

You finally saw the softer side of him when you came to the Dwarves' aid at the river, delicately dancing from one side to the other, slashing orcs' throats as you went. Much like Legolas and Tauriel were, only a much shorter version and with a long, dark braided mohawk. You remembered that day vividly because you met Fili, yes. But you also remembered that day well because of the damn Orcish arrow that had struck you through your leg. You knew opening the gates would be dangerous and even as the arrow struck and you lurched forward in pain, you still managed to throw your knife into the Orc's skull before he had a chance to impale Kili. He seemed to like you a lot more after that.

Everything got a little hazy once the arrow struck. You remembered pitching forward into the ice cold water and hands grabbing her from the rapids. You were tugged into a barrel and the lack of space snapped the end of the arrow off and you hollered in pain.

"You're alright, lass. I've got you." To your surprise, it had been Dwalin who had come to your aid. You clung to the Dwarf weakly and nodded your thanks even as your weak legs struggled to keep you standing. You chanced a sneaky glance over at Fili's barrel and noted his concerned gaze meeting your own momentarily. You had tried to smile in reassurance but only managed to hiss in pain and grip to the barrel tightly.

When they had all made it to shore, You with Dwalin and Kili's help, you all but collapsed against the sun warmed rocks in agony. Fili was suddenly hovering above you, his strong hands ripping open the leg of your trousers. He grimaced when he noted the thin vine like black shapes that had begun to weave there way up your leg.

"It's bad, isn't it." You choked out between gritted teeth.

"Poison." He muttered softly toward Thorin who was gathering himself and the other Dwarves not too far away. His King grimaced, "We must keep moving, Fili. We'll be swarmed by Orcs soon enough."

"I don't think we should be moving her, Uncle." That was the last of Fili's voice you remembered until you were abruptly covered in ice and stinky fish and whisked off to Lake Town.

"To be honest, Fili is rather impartial to beards. Besides, I see the way he looks at you." Kili encouraged with a smile.

"With abject horror?" You asked but truthfully, you were being sarcastic and delaying the inevitable.

"I might be an idiot but I know what you're doing." Kili smirked and you huffed, "Okay, fine. Let's get my inevitable mortification over and done with, shall we?"

You both left the room in unison.

You approached the empty balcony apprehensively and felt butterflies fluttering around your stomach like they were drunk and couldn't remember how to fly. Were you early? Had you gone to the wrong balcony? Maybe Fili was better off if you did. And it would save you a lot of heartache.

That's when you noted the high pitch trill of giggles coming from behind one of the pillars near the outlook and you craned your neck to see Fili smiling down at a, well, you'd guess most Dwarves would describe as a rather fetching Dwarrowdam. She giggled again, the sound akin to a pig who had just found out where bacon comes from. And then she touched his hand and he did not shy away.

To say you were mortified was an absolute understatement. A trembling, embarrassed, heartbroken, teary mess was far more accurate. Why the heck did you have to start crying? Finally, Fili's attention was broken from his intimate conversation, mostly by you tripping on your skirts as you went to retreat. You clutched at your heart but managed to avoid falling flat on your face and instead broke into a stoic, awkward form of a power walk.

"Nienna!"

You knew he had never loved you. Despite all of the negative things you supposed about Fili's feelings for you, you had still held some semblance of hope in your heart. That maybe, just maybe, Fili could love you. The half Elven Dwarf with zero facial hair and pointy ears.

"Nienna, wait!"

You were embarrassed and tired and your chest felt like it was being constricted by a vice. Damn being an empath. Damn feeling everything so strongly. Damn it all!

Usually you were poised, sharp and light on your feet. But Fili made you feel like a fumbling imbecile. You never turned back. You knew if you did, it would only make your heart break faster. And it was already fragile as glass.


	2. Chapter 2

The door thumped again, this time louder and more urgent. You curled further into yourself and buried your head in your tear soaked pillow and choked back a sob of defeat. Your head was throbbing with emotion, threatening to spill over. But you barely had the strength to cry, let alone reach for the tonic you always kept at your bedside. Not that you cared either way. Maybe you'd die from heart ache and it would save you the embarrassment of ever having to face Fili again.

You had, however, managed to tear the stupid, pretty dress from your frame and discard it in a pile on the floor, before pulling on the familiar grey tunic that you often slept in. It wasn't like you were expecting any company tonight. Or any future night for that matter. You instead found company in the last of the ale from the previous evening and you were drunk enough to stumble a bit when you stood to wash your face, even as the pounding continued. It had been going on an hour now.

First, it was Fili at your door. Knocking insistently, pleading with you through the thick wood to let him explain, to let him make sure you were okay. He was worried, he said. He had not meant for things to turn out this way. You fought the urge to yell at him, "What? Was my utter mortification not enough for you? Did you want more?"

Instead, you drank a few tankards of ale as he continued banging before you curled up in the furs covering your bed and wept. He must have heard you because a shallow thud came through the door and he sighed woefully, "Oh, Nienna. Please, love. I cannot bear to hear you cry."

It was silent for a long while after that. You had thought he was gone, that he had given up. You berated yourself for still having a stupid glimmer of hope in your gut. You dashed it with the remains of the ale before belching loudly.

"Are you drinking? By yourself?" This time, it was Kili's voice. You sighed in irritation and sat against the headboard of the bed, knees to your chest as he continued to talk.

"Nee, Fili is worried about you, lovey. And you shouldn't be drinking alone, it never ends well." At that, you couldn't help but let a tiny smirk hit your lips. Stupid Dwarf knew you too well. I guess he was your best friend for a reason.

Still, it didn't change anything. It wouldn't change anything. Fili still did not love you. He still did not feel the same. He had plenty of time he could have spent telling you how he truly felt, as opposed to banging his stupid, incredibly muscular and thick hands against your door.

"Fili - Oi, Fili, what are you doing?" Kili called, his voice slightly distressed.

"I need to see her!" Fili growled and his voice sounded different to you. In fact, you'd never heard his voice get so low before.

There was an even louder crunch against your door as the frame shuddered violently. A vocal roar erupted before Fili literally banged down your door. You shimmied off the bed and tried to pull your tunic lower over your thighs, suddenly extremely conscious of your lack of clothing and the faces of both Fili and Kili peering through your once solid door. It now lay in tatters at your feet.

"What the hell are you doing!?" You slurred in irritation, strutting with purpose toward the two Dwarf Princes before thoroughly slapping Fili across the face. He gripped his cheek with a wince, "I guess I deserved that."

"You broke my door!" You yelled, eyes darting to Kili with a glare. He put his hands up in defense, "It was his idea!"

"Brother, leave us." Fili said in a clipped tone and Kili blanched and began backing out of the room.

"He's my friend. Why don't you leave." You fought back drunkenly, now completely unashamed by your half naked form. It wasn't like Fili wanted you anyway. And you were drunk. And angry. And drunk. And he burst into your room.

Kili still made a swift exit, shooting you an apologetic look. You let out a sigh of resignation and slumped back onto the bed.

"Anything else you'd like to destroy while you're here? A vase? That table? My hopes and dreams?" You rebutted snarkily, even as Fili lifted the door like it weighed nothing at all and leaned it awkwardly against the frame, trying his best to make it appear closed and private.

You had to snort with laughter at that, "Good as new."

Fili's eyes were once again on you and you squirmed on the edge of the bed and looked to the ground. This proved to be in his favour when he knelt down in front of you and leaned forward to catch your eyes. They again welled with tears and you sighed tiredly, "What do you want, Fili?"

"I want to apologise, amralime." Fili began and you shook your head, "Do not call me things you do not mean."

"I do mean it, Nienna! You're my One. I've been cursing myself for months because I swore to myself I would ask to court you when the war was done with and I was too much of a coward to ask! I was afraid you'd say no. I was afraid you wanted to be with the Elf King. And then Uncle and my mother had planned for us to eventually marry, to solidify our alliance with the Elves and I was relieved, amralime because it meant I would finally be able to court you the way I had always intended."

"Then why? Why did I have to see your affections placed else where?" You breathed sadly and Fili's eyes softened and he gripped your cheeks affectionately.

"She is of royal blood, my heart. She came to Erebor for one thing and one thing only. I knew the moment she introduced herself, title and all. I wanted so badly to tell her to run home to her money grubbing family but they are an important town for trading and a large number of them have come to Erebor to work in the mines. Uncle would be furious if he knew I treated her poorly. Even if I could not wait to be rid of her. Oh, Nee, she smelt so strongly of perfume, I thought I was going to pass out. And that laugh. Good grief!"

At that, you couldn't help but smile through your tears.

"So, you don't love her?" You had to know for sure before you put your heart on the line again. Or your door for that matter.

"I love you, Nienna. You are my light, my stars." Fili proclaimed, his hands running beneath the long strands of your hair to thumb at the shaved sections beneath.

Still, I shook my head, "Words, Fili! They're just words. How can I know-"

"Read me." Fili growled, his irises penetrating your own fiercely.

"Fili, I cannot-"

"Yes, you can, Nienna! You must. I trust you, my heart. Please…you need to know how much I love you. How much I adore you. I'll worship you every single day of my life but I know that means nothing unless you can feel it for yourself. Now…read me." And with that, he gently took your hands and placed them over his temples.

You nodded and closed your eyes, focusing on the tendrils of heat emanating from Fili's mind. They immediately sparked and hit your fingertips and in an instant, you felt everything. You felt everything. All of his love. And all of his hate. All of his joy and all of his pain.

You gasped and instantly felt tears streaking your face and yet you were unable to tear your hands away. You whimpered at the myriad of emotions igniting your skin and felt hot breath against your jaw.

"Nee, let go. You need to let go, sweetheart." You jolted back to reality with a gasp, pitching forward off the side of the bed and into Fili's arms.

"I'm sorry that I ever doubted you." You sobbed against Fili's neck as he wrapped his strong arms around you and buried a hand into your hair.

"Hush, love. You had every right to have your doubts. I didn't exactly give you a warm welcome, even from the start. Glaring at you through the bars of a prison cell certainly wasn't going to win me your heart." You chuckled amidst your tears and leaned back to gaze lovingly at Fili before grinning, "Are you sure you don't want to marry that awful Dwarrowdam?"

Fili snorted, "Not in a million life times, Ghivashel. You are far more tolerable." You gaped then thumped him hard on the arm as he tried to stifle his laughter.

"You are the absolute worst." You protested but Fili's eyes had strayed to your bare legs. Your bare legs that were now conveniently straddling his lap. He eyed your very short tunic mischievously.

"Do you often wander around with no pants on?"

"Do you often break people's doors down?" You retorted and Fili growled and gripped your thighs firmly, "Only ever you, my darling. Now back to this very, very short tunic you're wearing."

You hummed and nodded, "You're right. I should really put some pants on."

You went to shift off Fili's lap but he immediately held you in place with his hot fingers clenched against your waist.

"You're not going any where, lass." Fili warned and you smirked, "I'm sorry, my Prince. I didn't realise that being your One meant you were the boss of me. Now I might have to reconsider."

Fili released a hearty laugh and gazed back at you adoringly, "It appears my star of all stars does not want me to braid her luscious locks."

He presented his clenched fist out in front of you before opening it to reveal his large palm and two intricate beads. You gasped and let your fingers touch them gently. One was a bead that you recognised as the sign of the Line of Durin. But the other was different. It was Elven.

"Fili-" You began and he sighed heavily, "Aye, it's from the Elves. Your Elven King to be exact. Said it's one of the white stones given back to him after the war."

"They are the white gems of Lasgalen. They were meant as a gift for the Queen of Mirkwood long ago. They are rumoured to be starlight themselves. Plucked from the sky by the Silmarils." You recounted one of many stories that Thranduil and Legolas had spoken of. The history of the Silmarils came from countless hours scouring the library of the Elven King's Halls and you had always spoken fondly of the existence of starlight jewels.

Fili grimaced, "My disliking of the Elves as a whole is no secret, amralime. I approached the Elf King before his return journey to Mirkwood to ask him to spare a single stone for you so that I may fashion a courting bead for my Elven star. Naturally, he was disgusted and mortified by such a request."

"But he obviously gave it to you…so what happened?" You wondered, rolling the jewel delicately between your fingers.

Fili's face began to turn red, "I had to promise something to him."

"What!?" You asked, maddened by Fili's eagerness to stall.

"I had to promise him that 'if Nienna sees reason and declines your wishes, you must return the jewel to me, so that I may present it to her as a token of my love'." You must have looked mortified and shocked because Fili snickered, "You'll catch all the gnats in Erebor if you continue to gape like that."

"I…" You began before a cheeky smile lit up your face. You tugged gently on the two small braids in Fili's beard and leaned in close before whispering, "Then we'd best tell him the news."

Fili raised a brow, "What news?"

You ran the back of your hand down the side of his face and stared lovingly into his eyes. You whispered against his lips, "That I am betrothed to my One. And my heart is full."

Fili sunk his fingers into your hair and breached the distance between your lips. His mouth was warm and soft, his scent hitting your nostrils. It was earthy and fragrant, like a dark rich wood with a hint of spice. His hands traced over your pointed elven ears, down your neck, your arms before encircling your waist once more.

You sent out tendrils of emotion to him, expressing your love, adoration and desire in a heartbeat. Fili tightened his grip on your waist and broke the kiss ever so gently, "I can feel you. All of you… You have such beautiful dreams. Such incredible vision. You truly are my starlight."

"And you are my sun", you began, peppering his chin with gentle kisses, "I love you, Fili."

"And I love you, my heart…And I love this spot too." Fili murmured, his hot lips pressing firmly on your throat. You gasped and moaned as his teeth sunk in to the sensitive flesh and you began rocking your hips in his lap, your hands disappearing beneath his tunic.

"Uh, love?" Fili began and you hummed, your fingers dancing quickly down the row of buttons against his chest.

Amralime, stop." He stated gently and you frowned and pouted, "Why? I know you want me. In fact, I know all of the dirty things you want to do to me and-"

"Lovey," Fili growled in a warning tone, gripping your wrists gently and halting their actions.

You smiled innocently, "Yes, my Prince?"

"Nee, you are very drunk." Fili stated.

"And?" You wondered, wriggling your arms around to try and get your hands free. He growled and released your hands before lifting you by your thighs and tossing you back onto the bed. This time it was his turn to straddle you and he did so, even as you continued to wriggle around and laugh.

You went for his belt buckle and Fili swatted away your hand before trapping them both above your head. You were panting, so hot and worked up and your head was spinning. Or that may have been from the ale, you weren't entirely sure.

Fili leaned down and placed a soft yet passionate kiss on your swollen lips, "And it is requiring all of my restraint not to rip this very small tunic from your body and do naughty, dirty things to you, love."

You moaned hotly at his words and again tried to free your hands whilst breathily asking, "That's a problem?"

"Aye, it is. Because when I take you, I intend on you being completely lucid. I want you to feel everything. Every touch, every taste, every scent. No ale. No tonic. Just me. And you. And this sexy tunic." Fili finished with a smile and a sweet, tender kiss on your forehead.

You sighed in frustration. Clearly Fili had noticed the weight of your eyelids and your flushed cheeks and pounding heart. Even he knew they were signs of being in emotional overdrive.

"Look at you, darling. You can barely stay awake." He brushed back hair from your temple and you felt a gentle tugging at your scalp, "But this cannot wait."

You reached out to cover his hand with your own and beamed brightly when you realised he was braiding the two beads into your hair. After closing your eyes, you hummed contently and continued smiling.

"Darling, you are a vision. All flushed beneath me with your hair finally braided. And it is my bead in your hair, bearing claim as your future husband."

You opened your eyes again and met his gaze, biting your lip before saying, "Say it again. Say you'll marry me, Fee."

Fili thumbed your braid and left another hot kiss on your lips, "I'm going to marry you, Nienna. I'm going to make you my wife. My princess."

You hummed again and closed your eyes, this time your breath beginning to even and lull you towards sleep. Your entire body and mind was exhausted. Not only had you connected minds with Fili but you had also shared your own emotions with him. You rubbed your finally free hands against your temples and groaned.

"Open your mouth, love." Your eyes shot open in confusion before a soft smile lifted your lips at the dropper of tonic he was holding out to you. You parted your lips and swallowed the mixture down.

You suddenly had a realisation and you grumbled with irritation, "My bloody door, Fili."

Fili couldn't help but chuckle before standing up from the bed and moving to lift you into his arms.

"My quarters then, eh?" You merely nodded and snuggled into his chest, falling asleep in your One's arms.


	3. Chapter 3

You could feel him from a mile away and smelled his scent from outside the doors of the library, but still he tried to skulk towards you stealthily.

"What do you want?" You asked, just before hot breath whispered across your cheek and neck.

Your eyes flickered briefly away from the pages of your book just long enough to see Fili scoff in mock offense.

His beard tickled at your ear as he whispered, "Is that any way to speak to your fiance?"

You couldn't help the small smirk that lifted up the corner of your lips, "What did you call me?"

Fili chuckled and placed a warm kiss upon your cheek, "My fiance. Do you like when I call you that, love?"

You shook your head, "Not really."

Fili squawked in shock and the beady eyed Dwarrowdam placing books back on the shelves shot him a glare. You giggled quietly and turned to look at Fili who had plonked himself down in the chair beside you.

"What can I do for you, my love?" You wondered, leaning in to steal a quick kiss before blushing and checking that no one was looking.

"You're really asking me that? My beautiful fiance is no where to be found this morning and the only clue I had to go by was an empty tea cup, some crumbs and untouched marmalade. Now I have to ask myself...what do you have against marmalade?" You smiled widely and swatted his arm, "Don't be silly. I-"  
You paused as two Dwarves whispering quietly decided to sit at the same table opposite you, plonking down heavy volumes of goodness knows what and sifting through the pages loudly.

"Of all places, I thought I'd be safe here." You muttered, the all familiar pain returning to your skull. You rubbed your temples wearily and sighed.

"Darling, what's wrong? You look like you haven't sleep at all." Fili noted, his fingers lacing with your own beneath the table. You felt tears rushing to your eyes and blinked against them, "Its never been this bad before."

"Your empathy?" Fili quickly caught on, running his thumb across your knuckles comfortingly.

You nodded, "I can feel everything now. All of the time. I thought...I thought that last night it was so strong because we had connected emotionally. Other times I've explained it away as mood swings or dragon time. But it hasn't gone away and it's only getting worse."

"What about your tonic?" Fili wondered and you shook your head, "I've been taking it every hour and it has done nothing to relieve the constant onslaught."

Fili stared back at your worriedly and ran his fingers along your courting bead, "Darling, you should have woken me. Stayed with me. We could call Oin and-"

"The more people around, the worse it is!" You snapped in a whisper and Fili looked taken aback. Your eyes glazed with tears, "I'm sorry, my heart. You do not deserve this. Any of this. Maybe you're better off..."

"Without you?" Fili finished, hurt crinkling his forehead. You nodded again and let your lip tremble, "Will you give me some time to think? To try and clear my mind? I don't want to hurt you, Fee. I'd die before I ever hurt you. But being around anyone hurts."

You paused and let a tear trace down your cheek, "Being around you hurts."

"You know, you're probably sitting in orc blood."

You rolled your eyes and sighed in irritation, closing your book and resting it in your lap. You looked up at Kili who was gazing around him at the barren landscape where the battle for Erebor took place.

He kicked at a rock on the ground and asked, "What in Mahal's name are you doing out here?"

You could feel Kili's genuine concern and so you conceded and responded simply, "I can't turn my empathy off."

" So you can feel everything? What I'm feeling? What Fili's feeling? Wait, everyone in Erebor?" Kili asked and you nodded, "Ever. Single. Person."

"Ah...well, that explains you sitting by yourself out here in the dirt scowling.

You snorted, "That's very helpful."

You let your shoulders slouch before pushing yourself to your feet and brushing dust off the seat of your pants.

"Fili sent you, didn't he?"

Kili shrugged, shook his head and grinned all at once, "Can't I just be annoyingly curious for once?"

You cocked an eyebrow skeptically, "For once?"

"Fine! Fili sent me. He's worried about you, lovey. And a little scared of you." Kili admitted and you grimaced.

"Kee, I feel terrible! It's the first day of our courtship where we should be waking up next to one another, consummating our engagement and-"

"And I'm going to stop you there. Mostly because that's gross and I absolutely do not want to know. But also because you're an idiot."

"Excuse me!?" You seethed, hands on hips and previous scowl back in place.

"You. Are. An. Imbecile. And as your best friend, I'm allowed to say that. Nee, Fili loves you. I've never, ever seen him like this. He's intolerable to be around. All he does is talk about you. All he's been doing since we reclaimed Erebor is talk about you. Frankly, I'm sick of hearing about you and your resemblance to starlight. Like, what does that even mean?"

You groaned in irritation, "Your point?"

"My point, my dear, is that you're not alone any more. You have us now. You have Fili. He would move heaven and Earth for you. So bloody let him! He's up there right now, moving all of your belongings into the most secluded section of Erebor he can find until you figure this out. Not to mention he's got Oin in a frenzy, which is always fun to watch."

You laughed at that before staring up at the mass of stone and mountain that was your home now.

"Go to him, Nee. Or I swear to Mahal, as much as it disgusts me to even consider, I will send word to Thranduil and-"

"Don't you dare! If he sends me one more silken dress or handcrafted piece of furniture, I'll have to open a stall in Dale to get rid of it all."

"How come I've never seen any of these silken dresses?"

You jumped and squealed boisterously, turning to shoot Fili a glare for sneaking up on you, though a cheeky grin was on your lips.

"Didn't you notice the mountain of discarded dresses on my floor last night?"

Fili shrugged and let his eyes wander your frame, "I was a bit preoccupied."

"Please stop." Kili squirmed in disgust before flicking his hair over his shoulder dramatically, "I shall take my leave."

You shook your head in disbelief before you realised something extremely important.  
"I didn't feel you coming!" You acknowledged in shock and confusion.

"Not usually what a young Dwarrow prince wants to hear from his betrothed."

It took you a moment before you were whacking him in the arm, "For goodness sakes, Fili! You're as bad as your brother."

"Yet far more dashing." He responded with a wink and a lopsided grin. Your insides instantly turned molten and you stepped into the circle of his arms before leaving a soft, lingering kiss against his jaw.

"Anyone with eyeballs can see that, my heart. Now, tell me, how are you keeping your emotions at bay?" You wondered.

Your mind was tranquil for the first time in what felt like days and a sigh of relief passed your lips and Fili rubbed your back soothingly.

"Kingsfoil." He answered simply. 

"Athelas?" You muttered curiously and worried at your lip, "Men of Gondor have been known to use it to combat headaches but even then, for anything stronger, it would have had to have been used by a descendant of the Númenor or Elves."

"Blessed by the Elves, yes." Fili offered and you raised a perplexed eyebrow, "Why on earth do you have blessed Athelas in Erebor?"

Instead of answering you, Fili pulled your body flush against him and leaned in for a slow deep kiss. Naturally, you gave in and kissed him back, a small moan escaping your lips as he began nipping energetically at a very sensitive spot on your neck.

"Fili, I-Unnnnn, you're…ohhhhh, stalling." You tried to get out some sort of coherent sentence but it was becoming increasingly difficult. His hands were wandering your curves, his beard, lips and teeth hot against your neck.

"I cannot _wait_ to have you back in my bed so that I can do all those very naughty things I've been thinking about doing to you." Fili whispered hoarsely in your ear. It took the strength of an army to flatten your palms against his chest and push him away.

"Fili, what is going on!?" You blurted out, your face etched with concern.

Fili grimaced and tried to grab your hand to pull you back to him but you took a step away from him and grunted in irritation, "Tell me what's going on! How did you figure out that Athelas works? And who gave it to you?"

"Why does it matter?" Fili spat in anger, his boot kicking up dirt as he gritted his teeth and seethed quietly.

A single tear hit your cheek and you sighed tiredly, "It was Thranduil, wasn't it?"

Fili stayed silent but you could tell by the stiffening of his jaw and the deep furrow of his brows, that you were right.

"I don't need to read your emotions to know that you're jealous. That you resent Thranduil for whatever reason and-"

"He's bloody well in love with you, Nienna! I don't need _any _other reason to hate the bastard elf! Everything he has ever done for you was out of his own selfishness. Can't you see that?" Fili was furious. His gaze like wildfire and you felt the tears collecting in your eyes again.

There was a sudden deafening chatter in your head, like a cacophony of people speaking all at once. Pain, fear, misery, love, hate, passion, terror. They hit you all in the chest at once and you cried out, crumpling to your knees weakly. Your heart was thundering, breaths gasping rapidly barely audible over the sound of blood rushing passed your ears.

Fili's voice was a distant muffled sound and you hardly registered the warmth of his arms wrapping around you. His body was cradling your now laying form in his arms. You felt something warm and wet trickle from your nose, smelt the metallic stench of blood as pain exploded in your head, rendering you speechless and unable to respond to Fili's terrified pleas.

The cold lip of a metal flask was pushed against your lips, a foul concoction hitting the back of your throat. You choked and struggled to rid yourself of the bitter taste but Fili was hushing you and ordering you to drink, his voice small above the din of your mind and heart. You took down as much of the tonic as you could, coughing violently as more sticky lines of blood dripped down your face.

The last thing you were able to discern was the faint flickering of torches, raised voices as blackness fell in around you, swallowing you whole.


End file.
